Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising a capacitor body of roughly rectangular solid shape, as well as a first external electrode and a second external electrode that are provided on one height-direction face thereof.
Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 to 7 of Patent Literature 1 mentioned below disclose a multilayer ceramic capacitor relating to the foregoing. This multilayer ceramic capacitor comprises: a capacitor body of roughly rectangular solid shape, which contains multiple first internal electrode layers of roughly rectangular shape and multiple second internal electrode layers of roughly rectangular shape that are arranged alternately, in the width direction, with dielectric layers in between; as well as a first external electrode of roughly rectangular shape and a second external electrode of roughly rectangular shape, which are provided on one height-direction face of the capacitor body. Each first internal electrode layer has a first lead part of roughly rectangular shape that continues to one height-direction face of the capacitor body, and an end of each first lead part is connected to the first external electrode. Each second internal electrode layer has a second lead part of roughly rectangular shape that continues to one height-direction face of the capacitor body, and an end of each second lead part is connected to the second external electrode.
The aforementioned multilayer ceramic capacitor is constructed in such a way that each first internal electrode layer and each second internal electrode layer are oriented at roughly right angles with the first external electrode and second external electrode, and consequently the length-direction dimension (width) of each first lead part is smaller than the height-direction dimension (width) of each first internal electrode layer, while the length-direction dimension (width) of each second lead part is smaller than the height-direction dimension (width) of each second internal electrode layer. Accordingly, an attempt to meet the demand for size reduction and capacitance increase based on the aforementioned multilayer ceramic capacitor raises the concern that the connection of each first lead part with the first external electrode, and the connection of each second lead part with the second external electrode may become unstable.
To be specific, meeting the demand for size reduction and capacitance increase based on the aforementioned multilayer ceramic capacitor requires decreasing the height-direction dimension (width) and length-direction dimension of each first internal electrode layer, as well as the height-direction dimension (width) and length-direction dimension of each second internal electrode layer; however, the length-direction dimension (width) of each first lead part, and the length-direction dimension (width) of each second lead part, become extremely small when, in particular, the length-direction dimension decreases, and this tends to make the connection of each first lead part with the first external electrode, and the connection of each second lead part with the second external electrode, unstable.